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NCT Number: NCT07161817

Effect of Postural Changes on Postoperative Hypoxemia

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn which positioning strategy works better to prevent postoperative hypoxemia in surgical patients: semirecumbent positioning or lateral positioning. It will also learn about the safety and effectiveness of these two positioning approaches. The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does semirecumbent positioning reduce the incidence of postoperative hypoxemia more effectively than lateral positioning? Does lateral positioning reduce the incidence of postoperative hypoxemia more effectively than semirecumbent positioning? What are the differences in patient comfort and recovery outcomes between these two positioning strategies? Researchers will compare semirecumbent positioning directly to lateral positioning to see which approach is more effective in preventing postoperative hypoxemia.

Participants will:

Be randomly assigned to either semirecumbent positioning or lateral positioning after surgery Have their oxygen levels and breathing monitored regularly during the postoperative period Receive standard post-surgical care with their assigned positioning strategy Be assessed for comfort levels and any positioning-related complications Have their recovery progress tracked throughout their hospital stay.

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Key information

Conditions

Postoperative Hypoxemia Hypoxia Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Position Differences Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms, Respiratory

Age range

18 year–80 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Patients aged 18 or above and 80 or below who received general anesthesia and intubation

Exclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria

  • Patients aged 18 years and above, and 80 years and below, who received general anesthesia and intubation;

Exclusion criteria

  • Presence of hypotension or bradycardia upon entering the anesthesia recovery room;
  • Preoperative hypoxemia;
  • Surgical procedures where body position adjustment is not possible or is prohibited due to the nature of the surgery;
  • Surgical procedures involving severe cardiovascular or cerebrovascular diseases, severe pulmonary diseases, intracranial hypertension, etc.;
  • Intubation more than 3 times.

Treatment and study plan

Lateral positioning

Behavioral

Patients allocated to lateral positioning were placed at 90° on a horizontal bed, supported with a pillow to maintain neutral alignment of the spine and avoid hyperextension or forward flexion of the neck. No preference was specified for left or right lateral decubitus positioning, allowing flexibility based on patient comfort and surgical requirements.

Semirecumbent positioning

Behavioral

Patients in the semi-recumbent position were placed in the bed and the head of the bed was raised by 30 °, allowing flexibility based on patient comfort and surgical requirements.

Primary outcomes

  1. Incidence of hypoxaemia

    Time frame: Within 24 hours after the surgery was completed

    Defined as any occurrence of oxygen saturation (SpO2) ≤90% for at least five seconds during the initial 10 minute period after positioning.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Rrequency of airway rescue interventions

    Time frame: Within 24 hours after the surgery was completed

    Increased oxygen flow, jaw thrust manoeuvre, mask ventilation

  2. incidence of severe hypoxaemia

    Time frame: Within 24 hours after the surgery was completed

    oxyhemoglobin saturation ≤85%

  3. Lowest oxygen saturation

    Time frame: Within 24 hours after the surgery was completed

    Defined as the oxygenation nadir during 10 minutes of continuous measurement.

  4. Duration of stay in the post-anaesthesia care

    Time frame: Perioperative/Periprocedural

    Duration of stay in the post-anaesthesia care

  5. wound pain

    Time frame: Perioperative/Periprocedural

    VAS scale was used to measure pain intensity. The VAS uses a 10 cm line with endpoint descriptors such as 'no pain' marked at the left end of the line and 'worst pain imaginable' marked at the right end. A VAS score between 4-7 represents "mild pain", a score between 4-7 represents "moderate pain" and a score between 8-10 represents "severe pain".

  6. Adverse events

    Time frame: Perioperative/Periprocedural

    hypotension, arrhythmia, and some other adverse events.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Yuhu Ma, Master

CONTACT

[email protected]

18419379740

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Yuhu Ma

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Effect of Semirecumbent and Lateral Positioning on Postoperative Hypoxemia : a Randomized Controlled Trial

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2028
First posted
Sep 9, 2025
Registry last updated
Jan 14, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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